X-Men (film series)

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X-Men series
2006 DVD box set
Directed by	Bryan Singer Brett Ratner (X-Men: The Last Stand)
Produced by	Lauren Shuler Donner Ralph Winter Avi Arad Tom DeSanto
Written by	David Hayter (X-Men, X2) Michael Dougherty Dan Harris (X2) Zak Penn (X2, X-Men: The Last Stand)Simon Kinberg (X-Men: The Last Stand)
Starring	Hugh Jackman Patrick Stewart Ian McKellen Famke Janssen Halle Berry Rebecca Romijn Anna Paquin Shawn Ashmore James Marsden
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Country	United States Canada
Language	English
Gross revenue	$1.163 billion
Allmovie profile

The X-Men film series currently consists of three superhero films based on the fictional Marvel Comics team of the same name. The films star an ensemble cast, focusing on Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, as he is drawn into the conflict between Professor Xavier and Magneto, who have opposing views on humanity's relationship with mutants: Xavier believes humanity and mutants can coexist, but Magneto believes a war is coming, and intends to fight. The films also developed subplots based on the comics' Weapon X and Dark Phoenix storylines.

20th Century Fox earned the film rights to the characters in 1994, and after numerous drafts, Bryan Singer was hired to direct X-Men for a 2000 release. Singer returned for the 2003 sequel X2, but left a potential third and fourth film to direct Superman Returns. Brett Ratner directed X-Men: The Last Stand for a 2006 release. Critics praised Singer's films for their dark, realistic tone, and subtexts dealing with discrimination and intolerance, but Ratner's film was met with mixed reviews. Nonetheless, each film outgrossed the last, and Fox is developing spin-offs set before the three films. The X-Men films are also attributed as leading to a reemergence of superhero films in the 2000s, such as the Spider-Man film series.

[edit] Films

[edit] X-Men

Main article: X-Men (film)

In 1994, 20th Century Fox and producer Lauren Shuler Donner bought the film rights to the X-Men.^[1] Andrew Kevin Walker was hired to write,^[2] and James Cameron expressed interest in directing. Bryan Singer signed on to direct in July 1996. Though not a fan of the comic, he was fascinated by the analogies of prejudice and discrimination offered by it.^[1] John Logan, Joss Whedon,^[3] Ed Solomon, Christopher McQuarrie and David Hayter wrote the script, with Hayter receiving sole credit.^[1] Filming took place from September 22, 1999 to March 3, 2000 in Toronto.^[4]

The first X-Men film introduced Wolverine and Rogue into the conflict between Professor Xavier's X-Men, and the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Magneto. Magneto intends to mutate world leaders at a United Nations summit with a machine he has built, to bring about acceptance of mutantkind, but Xavier realizes this forced mutation will only result in their deaths.

[edit] X2

Main article: X2 (film)

Fox hired David Hayter and Zak Penn to write their own scripts for the sequel which Singer would pick, with an aim to release the film in December 2002.^[5] The story was inspired by X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, though the character of Stryker was changed from a reverend to a general.^[6] Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris were hired to re-write the script in February 2002, writing around 26 drafts and 150 on set.^[7] Production began on June 17, 2002 in Vancouver and wrapped by November, with the release moved to May 1, 2003.^[5]

In the film, General William Stryker questions the imprisoned Magneto about Professor Xavier's mutant-locating machine, Cerebro. Stryker attacks the X-Mansion, and brainwashes Xavier into locating every mutant on the planet and kill them. The X-Men must team up with the Brotherhood and prevent Stryker's worldwide genocide. Wolverine discovers that Stryker has links to his mysterious past, and was responsible for the bonding of adamantium to his skeleton.

[edit] X-Men: The Last Stand

Main article: X-Men: The Last Stand

Bryan Singer wanted to shoot the third film back-to-back with a fourth.^[8] On July 16, 2004, he left to direct Superman Returns,^[9] having only completed a third of a treatment focusing on Phoenix,^[10] and introducing Emma Frost, a role intended for Sigourney Weaver.^[11] In addition, Singer also wanted to showcase more characterizations of Rogue, Iceman and Pyro.^[12] Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn were hired the following month, and a studio executive read Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men story "Gifted", featuring a mutant cure, suggested it be the primary story. Matthew Vaughn came on board as director in February 2005,^[13] but left due to the rushed production schedule.^[14] Brett Ratner took over in June,^[15] and filming began on August 2, 2005.^[16]

A pharmaceutical company has developed an antidote to the mutant gene, provoking controversy in the mutant community. Magneto declares war, and has his own weapon: the omnipotent telekinetic and telepathic Phoenix, who is the resurrected former X-Man, Jean Grey. Phoenix kills Xavier and Cyclops, and Wolverine must face being a core member of the X-Men.

[edit] Future

In August 2006, following the release of the third film, producer Lauren Shuler Donner reported that renegotiations would be required to continue the primary film series. Newer cast members were signed, while the older cast members, including Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Romijn, Famke Janssen, and Anna Paquin, were not.^[17] Berry,^[18] James Marsden,^[19] and Patrick Stewart^[20] have expressed interest in returning, and Bryan Singer was approached once more to direct, but he couldn't helm a large-scale project before making Superman: Man of Steel.^[21] However, as of July 2007, there was no script for a fourth film, and none was in the works.^[22] Later in the month, however, Kevin Feige, president of production in Marvel Studios said that another X-Men film was possible.^[23] Donner admitted, "There is forty years worth of stories. I’ve always wanted to do Days of Future Past and there are just really a lot of stories yet to be told."^[24]

Each X-Men film was more expensive than the last, with larger salaries and more spectacular visual effects, so an X-Men 4 is unlikely to be produced soon.^[25] Twentieth Century Fox chose the "divide and conquer" route for the franchise with multiple spin-offs, including prequels focusing on Wolverine and Magneto, a film about the students at the X-Mansion to be written by Zak Penn,^[26] and director David O. Russell expressed interest in a film about Emma Frost.^[27] Vinnie Jones, who played the Juggernaut, has said he would like to reprise his role in a spin-off, as he felt there was too little time in The Last Stand to imbue the character with depth.^[28]

Penn said of his spin-off, "The original idea was to have me do a young X-Men spin-off. But someone came up with a pretty interesting idea which I can’t discuss [...] He came up with how to do a young X-Men movie, which is not what you’d expect [...] If you agree to do one of the X-Men movies, it could end up happening four or five years down the line, which is fine with me. It’s just not my focus right now."^[29] Penn compared the idea to X-Men: First Class.^[30] In May 2008, Josh Schwartz joined the project.^[31]

[edit] X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Main article: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Set seventeen years before X-Men,^[32] the film will focus on Wolverine's violent past,^[33] and his early encounters with William Stryker. The Weapon X program and his interactions with other mutants will be explored,^[34] including his complex relationship with Sabretooth/Victor Creed.^[33]

The film will feature Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine once again with Gavin Hood directing.

[edit] X-Men Origins: Magneto

In December 2004, Twentieth Century Fox hired screenwriter Sheldon Turner to draft a spin-off X-Men film, and he chose to write Magneto, pitching it as "The Pianist meets X-Men." ^[35] In April 2007, David S. Goyer was hired to direct.^[36] Turner said the script was set from 1939 to 1955,^[37] and it follows Magneto trying to survive in Auschwitz. He meets Xavier, a soldier, during the liberation of the camp. He hunts down the Nazi war criminals that tortured him, and this lust for vengeance turns him and Xavier into enemies.^[36]

In May 2006, Ian McKellen said he would reprise the role using the computer-generated facelift applied to him in the prologue of X-Men: The Last Stand.^[38] Lauren Shuler Donner stated that the film would need McKellen to anchor the story, which would take place in flashbacks.^[27] With Goyer's hiring in 2007, it was said actors in their twenties would play the characters.^[36] Avi Arad said the film is planned for a 2009 release,^[39] and like Wolverine, it may be shot in Australia.^[40] In April 2008, McKellen stated that he doubts that he will return.^[41] Beast might appear in the film.^[42] In June 2008, the X-Men Origins prefix also applied to Wolverine was confirmed, and the project was seeking approval to film in Washington, D.C.^[43]

[edit] Cast and characters

Main article: List of X-Men films cast members

List indicator(s)

• Italics indicate a cameo.
• A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Box office performance

Each of the films set opening records in the United States: X-Men had the highest July opening yet,^[47] while X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand earned the fourth highest opening weekends yet.^[48][49] All of these records have since been surpassed. X-Men: The Last Stand and X2: X-Men United rank as the sixth and seventh most successful superhero films, while X-Men is the twelfth.^[50] The third, second and first films are the fourth, fifth and sixth most successful Marvel Comics adaptations,^[51] as well as overall the sixth, seventh and fourteenth most successful comic book adaptations.^[52]

[edit] Critical reaction

Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe praised the X-Men films as "more than a cash-guzzling wham-bang Hollywood franchise... these three movies sport philosophy, ideas, a telethon-load of causes, and a highly elastic us-versus-them allegory." Morris praised X-Men: The Last Stand for "put[ting] the heroes of a mighty summer blockbuster in a rare mortal position. Realism at this time of year? How unorthodox!"^[64] Roger Ebert gave the films good reviews, but criticized them because "there are just plain too many mutants, and their powers are so various and ill-matched that it's hard to keep them all on the same canvas."^[65] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, criticized the films' themes, saying "The pretensions take the form of the central metaphor that compares mutants to people of extraordinary, groundbreaking talent. That metaphor is bogus... The vision at the heart of X-Men - of a golden Utopia in which humans live side by side with mutants - is absurd."^[66]

The first two films were highly praised due to their cerebral tone, but when Bryan Singer left many criticized his successor, Brett Ratner. Colin Colvert of the Star Tribune felt "Bryan Singer's sensitivity to [the discrimination themes] made the first two X-Men films surprisingly resonant and soulful for comic-based summer extravaganzas... Singer is adept at juggling large casts of three-dimensional characters, Ratner makes shallow, unimaginative bang-ups."^[67] James Berardinelli felt, "X-Men: The Last Stand isn't as taut or satisfying as X-Men 2, but it's better constructed and better paced than the original X-Men. The differences in quality between the three are minor, however; despite the change in directors, there seems to be a single vision."^[68] David Denby of The New Yorker praised "the liquid beauty and the poetic fantasy of Singer’s work", but called Ratner's film "a crude synthesizer of comedy and action tropes."^[69]

The X-Men films received good reviews from fans of the comic books, but there was criticism of the large cast, and the limited screentime for all of them. Richard George of IGN praised the depictions of Wolverine, Professor X, Magneto, Jean Grey and William Stryker, and was also pleased with the portrayals of Mystique, Beast and Nightcrawler. However, George felt many of the younger X-Men characters, such as Rogue and Iceman, were "adjectiveless teenager[s]", and was disappointed by Cyclops and Storm's characterizations. He observed the filmmakers were "big fans of silent henchmen", due to the small roles of the various villainous mutants; such as Lady Deathstrike. George felt that the success of X-Men "paved the way for other hits like the Spider-Man series, Fantastic Four, V for Vendetta and Singer's own adaptation of Superman."^[70] Spider-Man director Sam Raimi said he was a fan of the series, particularly Singer's films.^[71] Film historian Kim Newman also tonally compared Batman Begins to Singer's films.^[72]

[edit] Tie-in material

On June 1, 2000, Marvel published a comic book prequel to X-Men, entitled X-Men: Beginnings, revealing the backstories of Magneto, Rogue and Wolverine.^[73] There was also an adaptation of the film.^[74] Marvel also released an adaptation of X2, which also contained prequels detailing Nightcrawler's backstory and Wolverine's time searching for Alkali Lake.^[75] Del Rey Books also published novelizations of the three films. The latter two were written by Chris Claremont.^[76][77][78] In 2006, X-Men: The Official Game was released, which was set between X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand.^[79]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• X-Men Movie Hub at Marvel Comics
• Trilogy comparison at Box Office Mojo
• TheXverse.com
• X-MenFilms.net
• X-Men film series at Allmovie